1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for assisting an individual participating in a focused breathing session consisting of a plurality of respiratory cycles. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for repeatedly producing a series of sensory signals to cue the exhalation and inhalation phases of the respiratory cycle.
2. Related Art
Eastern civilizations have long used a system of exercises known as "yoga" to attain bodily or mental control and a basic sense of well-being. It has recently been discovered that one of the yoga exercises known as "belly" breathing, or an adaptation of that breathing technique known as "focused" breathing or respiration, is effective in relieving anxiety, frustration or sadness which can increase blood pressure and trigger myocardial ischemia (inadequate flow of blood through the vessels to the organs of the body) in humans. It has also been found that belly or focused breathing can reduce fatigue, improve sleep, enhance immune system response, assist in the management of chronic pain and reduce the occurrence of hot flashes in menopausal women.
Belly breathing involves sitting quietly, focusing on the breath and slowly allowing air to completely fill the lungs down to the abdomen. Typically, the breath is exhaled at a controlled first pace and inhaled at a controlled second pace with a "pause" of several counts positioned between each exhalation and inhalation of the lungs. The cycle of exhaling, pausing, inhaling and pausing, known as the respiratory cycle, is repeated for a period of time, for example, ten to twenty minutes. The objective of belly breathing is to reduce the number of respiration cycles to approximately 1-2 per minute to control the rate of respiration and relax the body. It appears that with little practice the typical respiration rate of an adult can be reduced from 15-16 cycles per minute to 8-9 using the belly breathing technique. By incorporating belly or focused breathing into an individual's daily schedule it is envisioned that mental and physical health can be improved, resulting in greater productivity and an enhanced sense of well-being.
Although it is difficult to dispute the benefits of physical and respiratory exercise, many adults still lack the time to incorporate a focused breathing session into their daily routines or to at least clear their minds of extraneous matter to control or focus on the respiratory cycle. Thus, there appears to be a need for a breathing device which assists in control of the rate and duration of the respiration cycle and which can be transported and stored in a variety of locations for use at any time and at any place when the user finds that he or she has time to engage in a focused breathing session.
Devices for assisting with certain breathing patterns are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,585 to Fresquez et al. discloses a cueing aid for prenatal breathing control. The device provides a number of cueing signals to an expectant mother so that she can synchronize her breathing to one of three predetermined shallow breathing techniques. The device comprises a timer, a start-stop switch, a breathing technique selector switch, a first illuminating lamp to cue inhalation and a second illuminating lamp to cue exhalation. While the device of the Fresquez et al. patent assists a pregnant woman with the established shallow breathing techniques associated with natural childbirth, the device is not suitable for assisting an individual who wishes to participate in a focused breathing session. More particularly, the predetermined breathing patterns of the Fresquez et al. patent are synchronized to cue shallow chest breathing, rather than deep belly breathing, and the device fails to indicate the rate at which the user is to exhale and inhale during the respiration cycles of the breathing pattern. Furthermore, the device of the Fresquez et al. patent makes use of a first illuminating lamp to cue inhalation and a second illuminating lamp to cue exhalation which demands that the user divide his or her attention between a first lamp and a second lamp, which can prove to be counter-productive to the user's efforts to control the breathing pattern. Moreover, the device of the Fresquez et al. patent does not enable the user to select a respiration ratio or duration to create a focused breathing session customized to the needs and skill level of the user. The only time interval that the Fresquez et al. device can track is the duration of a labor contraction and the length of time between two contractions to assist in the selection of one of the three shallow breathing techniques.
Another device for timing labor contractions is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,043 to Forbath. The Forbath device comprises a medical timing system with a programmed computer controlled display, an audible buzzer, and a timing switch. Using the device of the Forbath patent, an expectant mother is able to time her labor pains, count fetal movements and practice breathing patterns to relieve contractions. Unfortunately, the Forbath patent suffers from the same disadvantages as the Fresquez et al. patent, in that the device does not enable the user to select an individualized focused breathing session having a series of exhalation, exhalation pause, inhalation and inhalation pause cues produced and signaled to the user at a user-selected rate and duration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,423 to Cohen discloses a resuscitation assistive timer to provide audio or visual cues to a person attempting to resuscitate a pediatric or adult. The device generates short audio and visual signals to indicate the compression and breathing phases of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. While the Cohen device visually or audibly counts the compression and breathing phases of the resuscitation technique, it does not enable the user to customize a focused breathing session based on a user-selected respiration ratio. In addition, none of the prior art devices make use of a cueing device which facilitates visualization of the exhalation and inhalation phases of the respiration cycle to enhance the user's ability to focus on his or her own breathing pattern.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an assistive breathing device which assists an individual participating in a focused breathing session by producing and signaling cues which correspond to the inhalation, exhalation and pause phases of the respiration cycle.
It is another object of the invention to provide an assistive breathing device which cues the rate and duration of each phase of the respiration cycle to the individual.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an assistive breathing device which produces visual as well as audible cues.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an assistive breathing device which produces a cue which facilitates visualization of the inhalation and exhalation phases of the respiration cycle to enable the individual to focus on his or her breathing pattern.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an assistive breathing device which enables the individual to select the parameters of the focused breathing session in accordance with the individual's skill level.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an assistive breathing device which is portable.